Chris TrottierPresident Joe Biden’s Threads account @potus is federating on the Fediverse!
And I’m following him from atomicpoet.org!
Wow! This is as monumental as Barack Obama joining Twitter! A truly historic day for the #Fediverse!
I would prefer that @potus run his own Fediverse server but this is materially better than him not being on the Fediverse at all.
Stefan Bohacek@atomicpoet Mindboggling, given that this is already being worked on:
https://stefanbohacek.online/@stefan/111978315030059050
TLDR: A team within the federal government is looking into setting up a .gov Mastodon server, they're now "in phase 2".
Stefan Bohacek (@[email protected])
"We believe there is an opportunity to help verify the online identities of American officials. Hosting a Mastodon server on .gov domains is one possibility. 10x will explore this changing internet landscape, validate the extent of the problem, and identify if government technologists can play a positive role in solving it." https://10x.gsa.gov/news/2023-selected-projects/#online-proofing-for-public-officials via https://stefanbohacek.online/@[email protected]/111978278463859793 #fediverse #govtech
Null@stefan @[email protected]
I mean in reality
* Campaigns / officials have used multiple services in the past to reach the widest possible audience.
* Likely, those involved with the POTUS arriving on threads know little about the difference between mastodon and Threads and how (and if) they communicate.
* The core problem of validating government officials identities is not solved by threads since you cannot bring a domain to threads.
So really this kinda seems like a big ol' Nothing Burger, unless you're a threads user 
Even saying 'the fediverse is FORCED' is hyperbolic. His ass wasn't here before, and huge swaths of the fediverse aren't American.
I mean in reality
* Campaigns / officials have used multiple services in the past to reach the widest possible audience.
* Likely, those involved with the POTUS arriving on threads know little about the difference between mastodon and Threads and how (and if) they communicate.
* The core problem of validating government officials identities is not solved by threads since you cannot bring a domain to threads.
So really this kinda seems like a big ol' Nothing Burger, unless you're a threads user
Even saying 'the fediverse is FORCED' is hyperbolic. His ass wasn't here before, and huge swaths of the fediverse aren't American.@NullNowhere @stefan Seeing how the EU and the German government run a Fediverse server, I think it’s highly likely that the U.S. government also knows about the Fediverse. Especially since you must manually turn on federation right now in order to federate from Threads.
The bigger question is why the U.S. government decided to join Threads instead of run their own Fediverse server.
And while I acknowledge the U.S. is not the world—I’m Canadian—the U.S. remains an economic and cultural power, and it is unavoidable.
Artemesia@atomicpoet @NullNowhere @stefan
> The bigger question is why the U.S. government decided to join Threads instead of run their own Fediverse server.
User count.
@artemesia @NullNowhere @stefan When it comes to the Fediverse, the user count of a particular server is irrelevant.
@atomicpoet @NullNowhere @stefan
The total usercount is relevant.
@artemesia @NullNowhere @stefan I’m on a server with a total of three users. In terms of network effect, there’s no tangible difference between atomicpoet.org and mastodon.social.
@atomicpoet @NullNowhere @stefan
whoosh. goodbye now